The information included on this page was collated through research work conducted by Roma Support Group and Sheffield University.
This research concluded with the report Roma EU citizens in the UK: Ongoing struggles with the EU Settlement Scheme. Its findings informed a toolkit for community organisations and local authorities on engaging with the Roma community on the EU Settlement Scheme. The full toolkit is available here.
Click on the headings below to see the relevant section of the toolkit.
This research concluded with the report Roma EU citizens in the UK: Ongoing struggles with the EU Settlement Scheme. Its findings informed a toolkit for community organisations and local authorities on engaging with the Roma community on the EU Settlement Scheme. The full toolkit is available here.
Click on the headings below to see the relevant section of the toolkit.
Roma were still applying for status in 2024 and will continue to do so for years to come (for specific guidance in relation to children, joining family members and upgrading from pre-settled to settled status, see the following sections). Where resources are stretched, it can be a good idea for community organisations to seek to work with relevant GFOs or other organisations providing with relevant GFOs or other organisations providing support with EUSS.
Verification stage
More and more Roma applications are likely to be rejected at the verification stage since the introduction of a tougher approach (after August 2023).
Eligibility stage
Very often Roma will lack the evidence required to pass the eligibility stage, even where they have
lived in the UK since before December 2020 and/or are an eligible joining family member.
- ensuring they have a bank account and that a bank card is regularly used for transactions in shops
- ensuring they are register with a GP / dentist / opticians and have regular check ups
- ensuring utility bills are registered to all adults residing at the property (women looking after children are finding it more difficult to prove residence).
- contact GPs for a copy of medical records
- contact other organisations / services engaging with the applicant to confirm the length of this engagement in an official letter. Letters from social workers, alternative educational provision, landlords, food banks staff, police, churches can
be used as evidence of residency.
Verification stage
More and more Roma applications are likely to be rejected at the verification stage since the introduction of a tougher approach (after August 2023).
- Where you believe that the application was incorrectly rejected at the verification stage it can be effective to work with one of the GFOs to ascertain if this is the case and to explore if you can get the decision overturned (many GFOs have good links with the EUSS Resolution Centre).
- Where you cannot work with a GFO, contact the Resolution Centre (0300 123 7379 or for organisations 0300 790 0566) to explain the particular circumstances of the late applicant and request that they accept the late application at the verification stage.
Eligibility stage
Very often Roma will lack the evidence required to pass the eligibility stage, even where they have
lived in the UK since before December 2020 and/or are an eligible joining family member.
- It is a good idea to encourage Roma to establish evidence of residence.
- The kinds of evidence that can be accepted as proof of residence can be found here.
- It is a good idea to encourage individuals to establish a ‘digital footprint’ in the UK (or, for joining family members a digital footprint linking them to someone in the UK). This could mean, for instance:
- ensuring they have a bank account and that a bank card is regularly used for transactions in shops
- ensuring they are register with a GP / dentist / opticians and have regular check ups
- ensuring utility bills are registered to all adults residing at the property (women looking after children are finding it more difficult to prove residence).
- Organisations can support Roma applicants to obtain additional evidence of residency:
- contact GPs for a copy of medical records
- contact other organisations / services engaging with the applicant to confirm the length of this engagement in an official letter. Letters from social workers, alternative educational provision, landlords, food banks staff, police, churches can
be used as evidence of residency.
- EUSS advice organisations may be able to support you to liaise with Home Office decision makers who may be able to exercise some discretion where individuals are vulnerable.
- See also specific advice on children, joining family members, and upgrading from pre-settled to settled.
It is important to routinely check with Roma families that their children have an immigration status and/or to check if their children might be British nationals. This is particularly important for looked after children, those in care, and care leavers. Our research has revealed that both Roma families and many frontline workers are often unaware of the possibility that children may be British (this can be complex to ascertain - see here for further information). Below we offer some advice on checking children’s status.
Is a child a British national?
Getting a passport for children
If a child is not British then apply to EUSS
Applications for newborns should be made within 90 days of birth. But note that in 2024 the HO was still allowing late applications for children.
What if a child is not eligible for EUSS status?
Is a child a British national?
- Note that British children include (but are not limited to):
- those born in the UK to at least one parent who already had settled status in the UK.
- those born in the UK between 1st July 2006 and 30th June 2021 to a parent with indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or permanent residence rights in the UK before 30th June 2021.
- It may be difficult to determine whether a child is British because a parent may not remember when they were granted settled status and whether that was before the birth of a child. Unfortunately that date is not visible on their UKVI account and they will have to find the email granting status from the Home Office, or contact that Home Office to find out (the resolution centre (0300 123 7379 or for organisations 0300 790 0566)).
Getting a passport for children
- If a child has British nationality the parents should be advised to acquire a British passport to enable them to prove nationality (note that public service workers will not necessarily be aware of their nationality).
- We know that Roma families may need help to find appropriate countersignatories for passport applications. Sympathetic schools and local NHS services (GP surgeries) may be able to support this process for Roma children.
- If you are not sure if the child is British (e.g. due to a lack of evidence/ documentation) it is a good idea to apply via EUSS (we know that in some of these cases, the home office has replied to let families know that the child in question is British and therefore does not need and cannot apply for settled status – this letter is itself a useful source of proof of nationality)
If a child is not British then apply to EUSS
Applications for newborns should be made within 90 days of birth. But note that in 2024 the HO was still allowing late applications for children.
- If a child was born in the UK to a parent who acquired settled status after the birth of the child an application should be made for settled status for the child (although note the above exception i.e. when the parent is able to evidence that they had permanent residence/ILR).
- If a child was born outside of the UK to a parent with settled status (regardless of whether it was acquired before or after the birth) an application should be made for settled status for the child.
- If no parent has settled status but at least one parent has pre-settled status an application should be made for pre-settled status for the child (it is not relevant in this case whether the child was born inside or outside the UK or whether status was acquired before or after the birth of the child). In these cases it may be worth checking whether one or other parent can upgrade to settled status.
- If the child has a passport/ID number applications can be made online. Families may need help in making appointments with relevant embassies to acquire an ID document/passport for their child.
- If the child has no passport/ID number, a paper application form can be requested from the Home Office (0300 123 7379 or for organisations 0300 790 0566)
- If you are not confident in conducting these checks or do not have capacity to do so, it might be worth reaching out to a GFO or a Citizens Advice centre.
What if a child is not eligible for EUSS status?
- A child will not qualify for status if neither parent has a status or seems to be eligible (often because they arrived to the UK after 2020). In these circumstances:
- Double check whether the parents might be eligible for status e.g. as a joining family member (this may involve working with relevant GFOs – section 3.7)
We know that many Roma have come to the UK to join family members since the end of 2020. We also know that conceptions of family within the Roma community are far broader than the narrow understanding adopted within the EUSS rules. Moreover, many Roma marriages are customary and partners may not have marriage certificates and therefore face greater struggles to evidence the durability of relationships.
Who counts as family?
Some family members can acquire EUSS status as joining family members. Community organisations should make Roma aware that:
Evidencing dependency and durability of relationships
Roma tend to have a limited ‘digital footprint’. As such, when it is necessary to evidence a dependency or a durable relationship, Roma can struggle to do so.
Community organisations should make Roma aware that:
Alternative routes to status for joining family
We know that a number of Roma have joined partners/spouses in the UK and those partnerships do not pre-date 2021 (or it is not possible to evidence that they did) and so the joining partner is unlikely to be able to acquire EUSS status. We have, in particular, heard of many cases of Roma women arriving to join male partners. In a number of cases those couples have subsequently had children in the UK (a lack of status will mean that mothers are at risk of incurring health charges in relation to maternity care in England).
In these cases, community workers should:
Risk of status curtailment for joining family members
Where a joining family member has pre-settled status and their relationship with the sponsor breaks down (either before or after status is acquired) and/or the sponsor leaves the UK, the joining family member may encounter difficulties acquiring settled status. In such cases it is a good idea to seek out specialist legal support.
Who counts as family?
Some family members can acquire EUSS status as joining family members. Community organisations should make Roma aware that:
- Family eligible as joining family members under EUSS are in most cases very limited
- The following groups count as family under EUSS:
- Children/ grandchildren under 21
- Children/ grandchildren over 21 (with a dependency that needs to be evidenced)
- a partner or spouse with whom you are currently in a relationship, where that relationship pre-dates December 2020, typically by two years (the durability and length of relationship needs to be evidenced)
- parents/ grandparents (a dependency needs to be evidenced)
- It is also important to note that those who acquired status as a joining family member (this included some children who could not evidence residence, so acquired status via their parents) cannot sponsor another family member. This could create issues, for instance, for those in this situation who are unable to sponsor joining partners.
Evidencing dependency and durability of relationships
Roma tend to have a limited ‘digital footprint’. As such, when it is necessary to evidence a dependency or a durable relationship, Roma can struggle to do so.
Community organisations should make Roma aware that:
- In order to evidence ‘dependency’ and/or ‘durability’ (for the specified categories of family) it is very helpful to have a ‘digital footprint’. This could include:
- evidence of regular financial transactions from the sponsor to dependent family members
- evidence of cohabitation (e.g. shared bills, agreements etc.)
- Where they lack a ‘digital footprint’ they may need to source alternative evidence. This might include:
- for partners, evidence of shared holidays (e.g. date stamped photos) and regular communication (e.g. via social media).
- medical evidence can be particularly important in demonstrating a dependency
- evidence of difficult social conditions of an applicant may also be relevant
- witness statements may be used in some circumstances
- It should be noted, however, that such evidence is not always accepted by HO decision makers and GFO support may be needed.
Alternative routes to status for joining family
We know that a number of Roma have joined partners/spouses in the UK and those partnerships do not pre-date 2021 (or it is not possible to evidence that they did) and so the joining partner is unlikely to be able to acquire EUSS status. We have, in particular, heard of many cases of Roma women arriving to join male partners. In a number of cases those couples have subsequently had children in the UK (a lack of status will mean that mothers are at risk of incurring health charges in relation to maternity care in England).
In these cases, community workers should:
- Consider whether individuals in this situation may be eligible for status under an alternative route. If you think this is a possibility, support them to check and pursue by accessing accredited immigration advice.
- Examples of such potential cases include:
- Joining partners may qualify for status under so-called ‘Appendix FM: Family Members’. But tough conditions around minimum income -- since April 2024, partners needed to show they had a joint annual income of at least £29000 -- constitute a significant barrier for many Roma.
- However, some joining partners may have the income (and English language) requirement waived under appendix FM rules. For instance:
- Where families have a British child or a child who has been in the UK for 7 years
- Where a partner in the UK is in receipt of certain disability benefits.
- Where families with children are able to pursue a case under Article 8 ECHR
- If it becomes clear that there is no prospect of acquiring a legal status, families should be referred, where necessary, to local ‘No recourse to public funds’ (NPRF) teams who will advise on available local support for children/ families.
- But it is important to get higher level legal advice to check and pursue all cases of this sort.
Risk of status curtailment for joining family members
Where a joining family member has pre-settled status and their relationship with the sponsor breaks down (either before or after status is acquired) and/or the sponsor leaves the UK, the joining family member may encounter difficulties acquiring settled status. In such cases it is a good idea to seek out specialist legal support.
- See this Rights of Women guide for useful information and their contact information.
As of June 2024 we know that pre-settled status will be extended for some (for up to five years) and automatically upgraded for others (automatic upgrades will rely on national insurance records showing five years’ continuous residence).
However, many are likely to struggle to qualify for automatic upgrades (due to gaps in National Insurance records).
Moreover, EU citizens’ advocates were concerned in 2024 that the HO will in 2024/25 begin to curtail status. This is likely to involve the HO writing to all pre-settled status holders and asking them to actively upgrade (by proving five years’ continuous residence). Where they do not respond to messages or struggle to prove continuous residency there is a risk that status will be curtailed. This risk is particularly acute for Roma who are not digitally connected and/or do not check their email or have the phone number linked to their UKVI account.
Proving five years’ continuous residence
Community organisations should encourage Roma to do the following:
However, many are likely to struggle to qualify for automatic upgrades (due to gaps in National Insurance records).
Moreover, EU citizens’ advocates were concerned in 2024 that the HO will in 2024/25 begin to curtail status. This is likely to involve the HO writing to all pre-settled status holders and asking them to actively upgrade (by proving five years’ continuous residence). Where they do not respond to messages or struggle to prove continuous residency there is a risk that status will be curtailed. This risk is particularly acute for Roma who are not digitally connected and/or do not check their email or have the phone number linked to their UKVI account.
Proving five years’ continuous residence
Community organisations should encourage Roma to do the following:
- Actively upgrade to settled status wherever possible.
- It is also important therefore that Roma are generating the evidence of continuous residence that will make it possible for them to easily upgrade. Evidence could include:
- Bank statements
- Regular rent payments/ rental agreements
- Evidence of benefit claims e.g. tax credits/ universal credit
- Payslips
- A dated letter from an employer
- Utility bills
- Mortgage statement
- Medical records/ GP letter
- School records
- Also see here for a longer list
- Roma may struggle to gather the above evidence and may need support to do so.
- Where they have a shortage of evidence they should be encouraged to ensure that they start to create a ‘digital footprint’ for themselves and family members so that they begin to produce easily accessible evidence.
- For instance, it may be wise to ensure that both partners are named on utilities bills, rental agreements etc.
- Roma families with pre-settled status should be advised on the rules around absences from the UK (they should be careful not to be outside of the UK for more than 180 days in any 6 month period). This absence calculator can be a useful tool.
- GFOs and other organisations such as Citizens Advice may be able to support this process (it is worth building a relationship with such an organisation).
Settled status is a form of Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). But there will be some EU citizens with a form of ILR that predates the EUSS.
We are aware of around 2700 families (currently EU citizens, mostly Roma former asylum seekers from Poland, Romania and Slovakia) who were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before their countries of origin joined the EU.
While this cohort of EU citizens had the possibility to apply to EUSS, government guidance did not explicitly encourage them to do so and many chose not to as they preferred to have a physical proof of their status, which settled status would not offer them.
In the context of EUSS, that pre-existing ILR has proved problematic for Roma to use in order to prove status. In short, various actors, including some government departments, were, from 2021, working on the incorrect assumption that all EU citizens legitimately in the UK would have an EUSS status and would therefore need to generate a share code in order to prove status. This has occurred in a number of cases: for instance, when making claims for Universal Credit.
The issues encountered by this cohort are likely to be compounded by the broader 2024 move to eVisas for all resident migrants in the UK, including those with (non-EUSS) ILR. Those with status, including ILR, under EUSS already have an eVisa and will not need to do anything. Those EU citizens with this older form of ILR will be required to apply for an eVisa along with non-EU citizens with ILR. In order to do so they will need to, in a first step, submit a ‘no time limit’ application (NTL), which will require them to prove that they have not breached the conditions of the ILR (i.e. have not left the UK for a period greater than 2-years). If successful, they will then be given a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and will be in a position to create an eVisa.
For EU citizens in this cohort, this will likely be a far more cumbersome process than applying for EUSS, and particularly challenging for many Roma for the reasons described above.
However, applying for EUSS has also not proved straightforward for individuals in this cohort. Where they applied for EUSS after the application deadline – and especially after the August 2023 changes to the late application process – they often encountered difficulties explaining why they were making a late application
Community organisations who encounter these cases should:
We are aware of around 2700 families (currently EU citizens, mostly Roma former asylum seekers from Poland, Romania and Slovakia) who were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) before their countries of origin joined the EU.
While this cohort of EU citizens had the possibility to apply to EUSS, government guidance did not explicitly encourage them to do so and many chose not to as they preferred to have a physical proof of their status, which settled status would not offer them.
In the context of EUSS, that pre-existing ILR has proved problematic for Roma to use in order to prove status. In short, various actors, including some government departments, were, from 2021, working on the incorrect assumption that all EU citizens legitimately in the UK would have an EUSS status and would therefore need to generate a share code in order to prove status. This has occurred in a number of cases: for instance, when making claims for Universal Credit.
The issues encountered by this cohort are likely to be compounded by the broader 2024 move to eVisas for all resident migrants in the UK, including those with (non-EUSS) ILR. Those with status, including ILR, under EUSS already have an eVisa and will not need to do anything. Those EU citizens with this older form of ILR will be required to apply for an eVisa along with non-EU citizens with ILR. In order to do so they will need to, in a first step, submit a ‘no time limit’ application (NTL), which will require them to prove that they have not breached the conditions of the ILR (i.e. have not left the UK for a period greater than 2-years). If successful, they will then be given a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) and will be in a position to create an eVisa.
For EU citizens in this cohort, this will likely be a far more cumbersome process than applying for EUSS, and particularly challenging for many Roma for the reasons described above.
However, applying for EUSS has also not proved straightforward for individuals in this cohort. Where they applied for EUSS after the application deadline – and especially after the August 2023 changes to the late application process – they often encountered difficulties explaining why they were making a late application
Community organisations who encounter these cases should:
- Advise such individuals to gather and keep safely all evidence of their pre-EUSS ILR status in the UK. If they cannot find or access that proof they may need assistance to contact the Home Office to request a record of their status. (This might be particularly relevant for dependents or adult children of non-EUSS ILR holders where their parents’ proof of status does not include their name).
- Encourage these individuals to apply for EUSS (rather than the alternative eVisa route), if necessary seeking support from relevant GFOs (preferably higher tier, but lower tier advisors may also be able to help).
As explained above EUSS status is digital-only, involving an online process in order to prove status that involves both status holders and a range of status checkers (including employers, landlords and public service providers).
Because many Roma find digital-only status very difficult to understand and access, it is important that advisers and support services who work with the Roma community are instructed on how to use it and how to support Roma to use it.
Access to login details
In order to access their online UKVI account and prove status EU citizens need to ensure they know the email address and/or phone number linked to their account. We know that many Roma change phone numbers and email addresses frequently. They also may fail to ensure that their account is linked to the correct ID document or passport (when, for instance, they renew a passport).
Community organisations should therefore:
Supporting Roma to access welfare
EU citizens with settled status should be able to access the same benefits as UK citizens.
We know from our research that many Roma believe that those with pre-settled status are not eligible for benefits. In fact, they are entitled to certain benefits, including universal credit, if they can pass a ‘right to reside’ test. We know that the test is not always applied properly by DWP decision makers.
Finally, it is important to note that, following a recent legal challenge, in some instances, those with pre-settled status who do not meet the right to reside test may also be eligible to receive benefits.
Community organisations advising Roma with pre-settled status in relation to welfare claims should
therefore:
Where you are unsure in relation to advising on welfare it may be worth contacting your local Citizens Advice.
Because many Roma find digital-only status very difficult to understand and access, it is important that advisers and support services who work with the Roma community are instructed on how to use it and how to support Roma to use it.
Access to login details
In order to access their online UKVI account and prove status EU citizens need to ensure they know the email address and/or phone number linked to their account. We know that many Roma change phone numbers and email addresses frequently. They also may fail to ensure that their account is linked to the correct ID document or passport (when, for instance, they renew a passport).
Community organisations should therefore:
- Encourage status holders to safely keep the information used to apply for status
- Ensure status holders keep all the information on their UKVI accounts up to date, in particular:
- phone numbers
- email addresses
- surnames (after marriage / divorce )
- passport and ID card details (this will be particularly important when travelling back in to the UK)
- photos (especially for children)
- If your organization has the capacity to do so and individuals are willing to share, it can be worth taking a note of emails/ phone numbers used in application processes.
- Often individuals will have lost details needed to log in to their UKVI account. This will require a phone call to the Home Office and the client may need language support. You can use the number for organizations 0300 790 0566. To speak with the Home Office the client will need to know the answer to the security questions in their applications. Things that might be handy for the client to have ready prior to the the phone call:
- their old phone number and email address ( even if it cannot be accessed)
- NI number
- address used on the application
- new phone number and email
- security answers to the questions set during the application.
Supporting Roma to access welfare
EU citizens with settled status should be able to access the same benefits as UK citizens.
We know from our research that many Roma believe that those with pre-settled status are not eligible for benefits. In fact, they are entitled to certain benefits, including universal credit, if they can pass a ‘right to reside’ test. We know that the test is not always applied properly by DWP decision makers.
Finally, it is important to note that, following a recent legal challenge, in some instances, those with pre-settled status who do not meet the right to reside test may also be eligible to receive benefits.
Community organisations advising Roma with pre-settled status in relation to welfare claims should
therefore:
- Make clear to those with pre-settled status that they may in certain circumstances qualify to received benefits
- Be alert to cases where the right to reside test is not properly implemented (e.g. by the DWP). See this EU Rights and Brexit Hub advisor toolkit for further information.
- Check whether individuals who do not meet the right to reside test could be eligible for benefits. See this CPAG note for welfare advisors.
Where you are unsure in relation to advising on welfare it may be worth contacting your local Citizens Advice.
RSG resources
RSG and the University of Sheffield have produced a range of resources that can be shared with the Roma community, including the following:
- EUSS information in English
- EUSS information in Slovak
- EUSS information in Romanian
- EUSS information in Polish
Also see our detailed 2024 report on the issues that Roma communities encounter in relation to EUSS.
- EUSS information in English
- EUSS information in Slovak
- EUSS information in Romanian
- EUSS information in Polish
- An RSG information leaflet in community languages that can be adapted as needed for local use.
- EUSS information in English
- EUSS information in Slovak
- EUSS information in Romanian
- EUSS information in Polish
- A series of RSG explainer videos on current EUSS issues all in relevant community languages.
Also see our detailed 2024 report on the issues that Roma communities encounter in relation to EUSS.
- EUSS information in English
- EUSS information in Slovak
- EUSS information in Romanian
- EUSS information in Polish
External resources
- The3million video resources that aim to answer the most frequently asked questions relating to EUSS. Their FAQ tool is also very useful.
- Settled also have a range of useful resources.
- New Europeans UK have resources in Romanes, Romanian, Czech and Polish.
- The current organisations with Home Office funding to offer EUSS advice at all levels of OISC accreditation can be found here.
- Citizens Advice may be able to support in relation to a number of issues including immigration and welfare questions.
Belfast
Bradford
Cardiff
Coventry
Derby
Dover
London
Glasgow
Ipswich
Kent
Luton
Leicester
Nottingham
Peterborough
Rotherham
Sheffield
Wakefield
Bradford
- St Edmunds Bradford
- Communityworks
- Kaskosan (Roma charity)
- Migrant Info Hub - links to other EUSS support
Cardiff
- TGP Cymru
- Newfields Law - for complex casework
Coventry
Derby
Dover
London
- Roma Support Group
- Romanian and Eastern European Hub
- Settled – EUSS Roma Advice Service
- New Europeans UK ([email protected])
Glasgow
- Community Renewal
- Romano Lav – campaign organisation for the Roma community
Ipswich
Kent
Luton
Leicester
Nottingham
- Nottingham Law Centre
- Ideea Rom Association
Peterborough
Rotherham
- Clifton Learning Partnership
- Migrant Info Hub - links to other EUSS support
Sheffield
- Citizens Advice Sheffield
- Darnall WellBeing
- Firvale Community Hub
- Sheffield Roma Network
- Oasis Community Space
Wakefield
- The Youth Association
- Migrant Info Hub - links to other EUSS support
